Colombia Huila La Piragua Alexander Vargas Washed Pink Bourbon #00191

Tasting Note:  Floral | Lemon | Red Berry | Tangerine | Grapefruit

Varietal	Processing Method	Altitude
Pink Bourbon	Washed	1750-1900m

 Size:  200g/1kg

Brewing Recommendation: Filter Brews / Modern Espresso

To bourbon, or not to bourbon?

For a long time, pink bourbon has been quite a darling of the specialty scene for years because of its high acidity cup. Due to it's pastel colored hue (as well as being grown in Colombia), many assumed pink bourbon was a rare Bourbon mutation, sitting somewhere between Red and Yellow Bourbon.

But here’s the plot twist: genetic testing revealed that Pink Bourbon is not Bourbon at all. It’s actually an Ethiopian landrace variety that somehow made its way into Colombia and thrived in Huila’s soils - well that explains the floral lift, citrus brightness, and red-berry sweetness you won’t usually find in Bourbon coffees.

Since it's been called a pink bourbon for a long time, the coffee circle seems to stick to the name rather than correcting it.

Who's La Piragua?

If the name Alexander Vargas rings a bell, it’s because he’s made multiple appearances with pink bourbon in the Colombia CoE consecutively:

Year	Rank	Score	Product
2020	#22	87.13	Pink Bourbon Washed
2021	#7	88.86	Pink Bourbon Washed
2022	#22	87.00	Pink Bourbon Washed
2023	#25	87.28	Pink Bourbon Anaerobic Washed

This release, however, is not an auction lot. Think of it as a sibling: grown on the same land, from the same cultivar, same processing method by the same producer selected for clean varietal expression rather than competition-style fermentation.